The present invention relates to a photographic camera, more particularly to a panoramic camera changeable as to the picture frame size between full or normal size, on the one hand, and panoramic size on the other hand.
Cameras with which photographs can be taken with great ease are in widespread use as compact cameras having an autofocus device and a vari-focal lens for the taking lens which can be changed as to focal length between telephotography and wide angle photography without exchanging the taking lens. In such a compact camera, 35 mm roll film is generally used with the picture frame size set at full size (24 mm.times.36 mm) or half size (24 mm.times.17.5 mm), i.e. the full size divided in half. Some recent cameras have had a picture frame of panoramic size (16 mm.times.36 mm), i.e. the full size with upper and lower horizontal portions cut off in order to make more interesting pictures or to serve specialized purposes. It is desirable that not only panoramic photography but also full size photography can be selectively carried out with the same camera.
In order to select either full size photography and panoramic photography, a mechanism must be arranged to change over the size of the picture frame. But the size of compact cameras must be small so that they will be portable. There exists a vari-focal compact camera of the collapsible lens mount type, in which a movable lens mount of the taking lens can be set selectively in the telephotographic or wide angle photographic position for use in taking photographs, and can thereafter be collapsed from the wide angle photographic position for carrying the camera. If such a camera has a frame size changeover mechanism, there is a problem in that the frame size changeover mechanism obstructs the collapsing space of the retracted movable lens mount.
If a change is made between full size photography and panoramic photography before the end of the roll of film in a camera capable of selecting either full size photography or panoramic photography, the two different sizes of picture frame successively appear in the image frames recorded on the roll film. This raises a problem of complexity and low efficiency in printing the film.
Furthermore, in the case of panoramic photography with a camera having a panoramic function, no image is recorded on the film in the upper and lower portions of the image frame covered by the frame size changeover mechanism, which are thus useless. Although panoramic photography may be carried out for a specialized use, the film on which the image is recorded carries no desired data such as the place, the position, the camera angle, comments, the photographer's name, and the date.